115 Overall we did not face as many redundancies as we have done in previous years, even though continued concentration of ownership in IB and restructuring in the BBC continues to lead to redundancies, but on a smaller scale that previously.
116 A number of theatres which closed for refurbishment using lottery funds have now begun to re-open. However some others, including the Birmingham Hippodrome, have closed for similar refurbishment.
117 We continue to attempt to get a high profile in the media for all of our disputes, and this has been successful in the trade papers, but it is more difficult in the national press unless we can demonstrate that the issue is around a London based company. For example, we had quite a lot of publicity recently during the dispute at the Royal Opera House but we were not able to get the same coverage for a bigger dispute that took place earlier in the year at Scottish Media Group.
118 BECTU continues to work constructively with the other Federation of Entertainment Unions (FEU) unions, and during the past year we have been involved in the Arts Council's consultative process on funding for repertory theatres as well as being heavily involved in the Communications White Paper.
Arts & Entertainment division
119 In regional theatres, among those which are members of the Theatrical Management Association (TMA), the focus was on the first full negotiation of terms and conditions of employment contained within the national agreement. The outcome of protracted negotiations was accepted by 94% of members in a consultative ballot and yielded pay increases of between 3.3% and 4.5%, along with improvements to holiday entitlements, maternity provisions and various other departmental conditions. We also agreed to set up working parties whose aim is to ensure adequate pension provision and the provision of meaningful training for members in the industry.
120 BECTU was also involved in the Arts Council's consultative process concerning the funding of repertory theatre in England. BECTU's submissions were followed up with a constructive meeting the Arts Council and it was agreed that this would be the first of regular meetings.
121 In the West End, our collective agreement with the Society of London Theatres (SOLT) came under attack. In the first negotiations on the agreement in three years the employers presented the union with a document which would have effectively derecognised the union for collective bargaining. Their proposals would also casualise the industry, introduce compulsory overtime and compulsory Sunday working, worsen most conditions of employment and in doing so take away all the benefits that BECTU has won for our members in the West End. Once the threat to recognition was withdrawn, agreement was reached on a 3.1% interim pay increase to allow negotiations to continue.
122 In the National Houses, BECTU continued to consolidate our position within the companies. It remains of fundamental importance to BECTU throughout the whole of the theatre industry that we continue to be organised and active in these major companies. The main area of activity has been at the Royal Opera House where major improvements to members' terms and conditions have been made post-renovation. The major dispute within the National Houses concerned the Royal Shakespeare Company members in the Barbican. The dispute culminated in industrial action which led to members withdrawing the derogations granted under the Working Time Regulations.
123 The major development in the cinema sector saw the merger of ABC Cinemas with the Odeon Group. Inevitably this has led to a number of cinema closures as the company nationalised their operations. Protracted negotiations took place to harmonise both sets of terms and conditions, while members rejected the Odeon pay offer by a massive majority.
124 The leisure sector was a low priority within the division's recruitment and retention strategy. The year saw the partial, then complete closure of Granada Studio Tours. the biggest single employer of members in this area.
London and Regional Production divisions
AFVPA
125 During 2000 the commercials agreement with the Advertising Film and Videotape Producers' Association (AFVPA) was substantially revised and agreed by members in a ballot in May. There are both concessions and improvements in the revised agreement but a majority of the members clearly believe that it remains important to have an agreement in this crucial area of production.
PACT
126 Our major achievement on the freelance production agreement with the Producers' Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT) has been to sort out the continuing confusion over holiday entitlement. A new agreed interpretation on holiday entitlement has been reached with PACT, and took effect from the 1 January 2001. We will be using this as a benchmark for both PACT and non-PACT contracts.
TAC
127 Our agreement with the Welsh language independent producers Teledwyr Annibynnol Cymru (TAC) has also been put back on track. We have won a significant pay rise for members and have also clarified holiday entitlement arrangements.
Proposition 15/01 (AP13) Commissioning editors
That this annual conference recognises the ever-increasing interference in the creative process of the commissioning editors, particularly in Channel Four. This practice is well beyond their remit and has a direct effect on the terms and conditions of BECTU members across the grades as it has a knock-on effect on the already tight budgets as set by the finance departments.
We call upon the NEC to initiate a high level discussion with Channel Four and other broadcasters to seek to end this pernicious practice.
Post Production & Facilities
Proposition 16/01 (AP14) Production standards
That this annual conference expresses its concern that budgets for multimedia productions and digital channels have been driven to a level that is seriously affecting production standards and quality.
Furthermore, the production process is subject to pressures that are detrimentally affecting working conditions such as health and safety.
Producers/Directors
Film Artistes
128 Progress on the FAA Agreement with PACT has been blocked by PACT's continuing insistence on a �minimum cut off� arrangement. However, the government's new legislation on employment agencies has provided us with another channel through which to win improvements for FAA members and other members who find employment through agencies.
Directors' Rights Campaign
129 Together with colleagues in the Directors Guild and the Directors and Producers Rights Society (DPRS), we have won a major victory for freelance TV directors. In negotiation with all the UK broadcasters, we have achieved a block payment arrangement in respect of repeats and sales of directors' works. In addition, a new Directors Forum will allow us to progress issues such as contracts, rates of pay, and professional status.
Animation
130 A claim on behalf of our animation members has been lodged with PACT, and at the time of writing we are awaiting progress.
Individual companies and workplaces
131 We have engaged in formal or informal negotiations with a range of employers including APTN, BBC (Leeds, Bristol, Belfast, Natural History Unit), HTV, Mersey TV, the National Film and Television School, Pinewood and Racetech. In addition, we have won a new recognition agreement at Woodhall Catering.
Laboratories division
132 The Laboratories NBV/Audio Duplication divisional committee continues to thrive with a strong, committed membership, despite the loss of several key members over the past 12 months. Representatives to the divisional committee find great benefit in sharing their work experiences and industrial strategies, even though they work for competing companies. The closure of Metrocolor was a landmark, having been the oldest laboratory in the business. Many members were sad to see it go.
133 However, staff working at Metrocolor were eligible for transfer under the Transfer of Undertakings Regulations to Technicolor, which had bought Metrocolor out. BECTU was therefore fully involved in negotiations concerning the futures of affected members at Metrocolor. BECTU achieved the option of severance for those who did not wish to move workplace with enhanced terms, as well as a timetable for the integration to Technicolor terms and conditions, which were superior, for staff transferring over.
134 At Deluxe Denham, the branch committee has been re-building itself after the loss of Bob Caswell who is still greatly missed. Industrial issues have included a successful pay claim which resulted in backdated 5% increase and the revision of their sickness policy after the successful application to an employment tribunal by one of our members who has been disadvantaged by the previous lack of any proper provision. The company has also agreed to negotiate and adopt a proper grievance procedure.
135 Film Labs North have successfully negotiated the first pay rise in nearly a decade, which has more then compensated for the rise in the retail price index since the Lab was bought out two years ago. Additionally, the branch has successfully prevented the erosion of an individual's terms and conditions. Membership at the British Film Institute (BFI) balloted to accept the introduction of a new pay and grading structure, which gave every member of staff a minimum £200.00 pay rise. Although there is still further work needed to finer tune this structure, the framework is now in place and can be built upon. The main problem facing the BFI membership is the tendency for middle management to abuse the disciplinary procedure rather than negotiate to resolve problems through the collective bargaining machinery. Now that the pay and grading structure negotiations have been in the main concluded, the branch can focus more keenly on strategies to change the managerial methods.
136 Deluxe Video Duplication is faced with proposals for massive change which include the loss of one fifth of the workforce and a restructuring of existing work patterns. At the time of writing the branch was still trying to negotiate a satisfactory resolution, but has the mandate of the membership to ballot for industrial action in order to save jobs and preserve terms and conditions. Earlier in the year the branch successfully negotiated the inclusion of shift premiums into the calculation of holiday pay as well as a revised pay and grading structure.
137 The other laboratories, including Soho Images and Todd-AO UK, and the members in the Labs Miscellaneous branch continue their day to day application of industrial business including pay negotiations, and have generally experienced a calmer year.
BBC division
Technology Ltd
138 As part of the One BBC proposals Greg Dyke proposed setting up a third wholly-owned subsidiary called Technology Ltd. This would consist of staff employed by Resources Ltd and the BBC being transferred out into a new company called Technology Ltd. This new company would supply the BBC with information technology support and broadcast distribution and would also look for commercial work outside the BBC.
139 After negotiations with the BBC a position was achieved which would mean that the staff transferring would have their pay rise protected for at least two years and would also mean that if the management of Technology Ltd proposed either a new salary management system or new terms and conditions staff would still receive the same pay rise as their colleagues in the BBC. The union also made clear its principled opposition to the concept of a wholly-owned subsidiary and AGS Gerry Morrissey wrote to Chris Smith, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
140 The membership were balloted and the proposals on terms and conditions were accepted (79%), while the principle of a wholly-owned subsidiary was rejected (84%).
141 In spite of BECTU's representations the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) gave the go-ahead for Technology Ltd in late February 2001.
London Ops
142 In July 2000 London Operations management tabled proposals for 262 redundancies and a drastic change to terms and conditions, including an end to the working time agreements in studios and outside broadcasts and a re-definition of �base� as a 25 mile radius around TV Centre and Broadcasting House Manchester. Initially the management indicated that there would be no volunteers and they would pick and choose who would stay and who would go. Following a ballot a majority of 90% voted to be balloted for industrial action if the management did not trawl for volunteers. Given this result London Operations management agreed to a trawl.
143 Despite a significant number of volunteers being accepted, there were still compulsory redundancies, with 40 Floor Managers, eleven in Manchester, two in Radio Outside Broadcasts and five in Allocations and Administration. There were also major problems with the changes to terms and conditions.
144 The failure to reach agreement led to a second ballot in which 74% of members voted to strike. There was a 24 hour stoppage from midnight on Friday 1 December 2000 to midnight on Saturday 2 December and then six days of working to rule. Following this the management asked for another meeting, at which some progress was made, but the amended proposal went out to ballot in January. The management had twice moved the date of imposition, from January 1 to February 1 and then to March 1, and had finally issued one month's notice of the imposition.
145 The package that would be imposed had removed the concept of a radius but still insisted that staff could be made to work 13 hours and only volunteer to work more than that. At the time of writing there is confusion between the BBC's imposed travel regulations and those in London Operations.
146 At the time of writing this was being looked at by the union's solicitors with a view to challenging it at an employment tribunal.
Recoverable expenditure
147 In September 2000 the BBC announced its intention to impose the new recoverable expenditure policy covering the whole of the BBC with the exception of Worldwide. They also indicated that they did not believe they were obliged to discuss and negotiate this issue under the procedure agreement.
148 BECTU objected in the strongest possible terms, and as the deadline for imposition drew closer made it clear that we would be prepared to ballot for industrial action on the policy as it stood. The BBC agreed to a meeting outside of the procedure, and this took place just before Christmas.
149 Opposition to the changes could be crystallised under the heading that BBC staff should not be subsidising the BBC when on duty, and several areas of the proposal made it clear that this was exactly what would be happening.
150 The BBC agreed to defer the implementation from the 1 January to 1 February 2001 and undertook to come back with amendments. The second meeting took place on the 11 January, with the final position not being known until the 19 January. Since the BBC have not moved on the issue of claims for lunch and evening meals away from base, not have they altered their position on capped actuality, BECTU commenced an industrial action ballot. This began on the 29 January and produced a successful vote for industrial action within the BBC and Resources Ltd. Members commenced implementing a number of sanctions against the BBC from the 26 February.
Independent Broadcasting division
Consolidation of ITV
151 The year 2000 was dominated by expectations about significant progress towards the creation of a single ITV company. The United News and Media merger with Carlton TV was sunk by a Competition Commission ruling in June 2000 which insisted that the merged company would have to dispose of the Meridian licence if the merger was to proceed. The decision returned Granada Media to the spotlight and paved the way for the Group's successful acquisition of the Anglia and Meridian franchises whilst the Carlton Group acquired HTV West and HTV Cardiff. Thus in 2001 the ITV Network is dominated by two players who anticipate still more change with the proposed relaxation of legislative restrictions on the creation of a single ITV owner. In the face of these developments which, unchecked, will no doubt intensify the commercial imperative at the expense of staff welfare, BECTU has to work concertedly to develop and build its membership and its representative base.
Branching out in Independent Broadcasting
152 While BECTU is committed to serving its long-established areas of membership, the union has sought to deploy the new rules provided by the Employment Relations Act 1999 in order to develop new branches. BSkyB remains the principal target; however its size and influence in UK broadcasting underpinned by its hostility to independent trade unionism means that it is no easy target. The campaign has three distinct areas: the Osterley based production centre; the Scotland based call centres and the geographically wide-spread engineers. The response from staff has been positive and contacts continue to be developed; the task in 2001 is to continue the momentum of the campaign until the essential critical mass is reached to enable effective use of the legislation. NTL is another key target for development given the extension of the recognition agreement in 2000 which, coupled with the integration of Cable and Wireless (Domestic Services), gives the union access to a further 6000 members.
NTL
153 NTL (or as it prefers, ntl:) started to reorganise its operating structure shortly after BECTU's recognition agreement was extended to cover Associates working in the Networks Division. As a result, the Networks Division was incorporated into a much larger group called the Technology Group which includes IT and Business Development. BECTU has benefited by the reorganisation in as much as Planning and Civils, an area within the cable side of the business, is now within the Technology Group. We are not currently recognised in IT or Business Development.
154 Following continued acquisition, bringing the total number of Associates employed up to 22000, NTL announced its �Planning For Growth� strategy, which amongst other things involved 1300 Associates being made redundant in an effort to control operating costs. The company cited duplication of activities as the main reason behind reducing the workforce. BECTU was fully consulted through a 90 day consultative period, which ended on the 31 January 2001.
155 On the 1 February 2001, BECTU's recognition agreement was further extended to cover Associates working in recognised areas of Consumerco, the former Cable and Wireless Business acquired by NTL.